Another year, another sweet session with this growing family | Tiiu, Dale, and the kids visit Wartman Paterson Park

Another year, another sweet session with this growing family | Tiiu, Dale, and the kids visit Wartman Paterson Park

I first photographed this family in 2016, when Tiiu was still pregnant with her youngest. It was my first full year as a family photographer.

I’ve photographed this family five times in nine years, and I’ve watched their kids grow, and explore, and now they even have a fur baby added in the mix!

Read this last chapter of their story and see the magic photos we made on a dreary day in November, in Wartman Paterson Park in Kingston, On.

Read More

Why Documentary-Style Family Photography Is A Life-Changing Experience

Why Documentary-Style Family Photography Is A Life-Changing Experience

Capturing your family's precious memories is important, as kids grow quickly. Taking family portraits is a great way to document those early years, when everything is an adventure and the kids are having a blast. However, posed photos only show a small fraction of what your family life is actually like, and the portrait session experience can be awkward or stressful for kids and parents alike. That's where documentary-style photography comes in. With a professional behind the camera, you'll get beautiful, candid photos that showcase you and your loved ones in your everyday environment, dancing, snuggling, or playing games. In this blog post courtesy of Hazel Miller (Adobe), we'll take a look at a few reasons why investing in a documentary-style family portrait session is a great way to go.

It's Less Stressful

Documentary-style photography is less stressful than traditional posed family portraits because it captures candid moments as they happen. You don’t have to worry about coaxing smiles or posing awkwardly—the photographer can simply observe and snap away, letting the kids relax and enjoy themselves. This makes for more natural, relaxed photos that you’ll be proud to show off.

A Professional Photographer Can Capture Candid Moments That No One Else Can

Professional photographers know how to capture fleeting moments in a way that no one else can. They know how to look for unique angles, find creative lighting, and take advantage of natural settings. These skills allow them to create stunning images that truly capture the essence of your family in its current stage of life.

You Get To Bond With Your Family During The Process

Having a professional photographer come into your home or document an outing with your family gives everyone something to do together while creating lasting memories at the same time. It can also give you the opportunity to talk with older members of the family who may not otherwise get much time alone with their extended families. Plus, you can use the experience as an excuse to get out and explore new places together.

You'll Have Tangible Mementos Of An Era In Your Family's Life

At the end of the session, you’ll have tangible mementos of this special time in your family’s life. Unlike photos taken at a birthday party or graduation, these moments are unique in that they highlight your everyday life and capture details that you may one day forget about. The final images will give you and your loved ones a way to remember things like family game night long after these days have passed.

You Can Use Your Finished Photos To Make Photo Cards And Other Keepsakes With Adobe Express

If you want something extra special from your professional documentary-style photos, consider using Adobe Express to make photo cards and other keepsakes like calendars and posters using templates designed specifically for these types of projects. Adobe Express offers a variety of tools that allow you to make the most of your images. Here are a few projects you might try, with your photographer's permission:

●      Create a slideshow to share with friends and family, or just to view yourself on your computer. You can even add fun music! The perfect way to remember your family portrait session.

●      Create a beautiful photo calendar that uses a different family photo for each month of the year. This makes a great gift! Adobe’s templates make the process easy; the hardest part is deciding which photos to use!

●      Make a stunning photo card to send out to friends or family. This is perfect for milestone events or holidays. Adobe’s tools make the process super quick and easy.

family in winter sits on the snow around a lantern

●      Utilize your favorite shot to create a stunning Father’s Day card. This is a perfect way to show someone special how loved they are. You can customize the card with your choice of fonts and designs.

Professional documentary-style photography gives families an amazing opportunity to capture special memories that will last a lifetime. Not only does it allow for candid moments between parents and children without any stress or awkward posing, but it also provides a chance for everyone involved to bond while exploring new places together. Plus, at the end of it all, you’ll have tangible mementos of this era in your family’s life that you can keep forever—or share with friends and loved ones using tools like Adobe Express.

Ready to document your family’s precious moments? Reach out to Viara Mileva Photography today to talk about your ideas for a session.

girl makes snow angel out of styrofoam peanuts

Baby Shower Photography | Amrita and Manny Celebrate With Friends and Family at the Delta Hotel

Baby Shower Photography | Amrita and Manny Celebrate With Friends and Family at the Delta Hotel

Amrita and Manny are expecting a baby. They threw a baby shower at the Delta Hotel, invited their closest friends and family, and had some games and activities planned.

In fact, they worked with Heather of Bowtied with Love (my friend and event planner extraordinaire), so I was already excited for this.

I was asked to photograph the event, focusing mostly on candid moments, with a few group and family photos here and there, particularly as folks were arriving.

And that’s exactly what I did!

I wanted to capture a few details first, to showcase the lovely setting.

Read More

Mini Day In The Life With an Ottawa Family | Pancakes, Toys, and Playing in the Park with Olivia, Chris, and Their Two Kids

Mini Day In The Life With an Ottawa Family | Pancakes, Toys, and Playing in the Park with Olivia, Chris, and Their Two Kids

I’ve got a really sweet photo story to share with you today: it was a documentary family session I photographed in Ottawa a few weeks ago.

This family was about to make an epic move: from Ontario to Saskatchewan!

So, they were just about ready to pack everything up and put it in boxes. We booked in the sessions as soon as we could possibly squeeze it in (on a Monday!), so that we could get some photographs of important things before they were all packed up.

Read More

Candid Photos At Lyndhurst Cottage | Mini Day In The Life With The Marcos Family

Candid Photos At Lyndhurst Cottage | Mini Day In The Life With The Marcos Family

Sarah’s mom, Ana, the matriarch of this family, approached me years ago to plan this photo-session, but because of timing issues (and later, Covid), it took us until this July to make it happen.

The idea was: document the family’s stay at their summer cottage, on Grippen lake.

I’ve been there before, because I’ve photographed their neighbors a bunch of times in years past. It’s a gorgeous place. Private, pristine, quiet…

And in mid-summer, that gorgeous green of the trees, couples with the deep blue of the lake…

Read More

Bernie & Libby's 65th Wedding Anniversary ❤️ | Cataraqui Golf and Country Club

Bernie & Libby's 65th Wedding Anniversary ❤️ | Cataraqui Golf and Country Club

Libby and Bernie’s children had put together a gorgeous slideshow of photographs from Libby and Bernie’s 65 years of life.

This is when I got all choked up.

There were imaged of them as a newlywed couple…

Images of them as parents to very young kids… the same kids that were gathered here today to celebrate their parents… and had brought their OWN children…

Read More

Photos At The Park | The Solc Family Enjoy A Sunday Morning At Lemoine Point

Photos At The Park | The Solc Family Enjoy A Sunday Morning At Lemoine Point

During family get-togethers, there’s often someone within the family who takes photos… but it’s more awkward because they never get to be in the photos themselves (trust me, I know… this is why this year, we’ve hired Tim Forbes to be our family photographer so we can all hang out and ALL be in the photo)

So I jump at the chance of being the photographer to help the family all be present with each other.

Now, for the Solc family, it was important to take a few traditional photos.

Candids were great, they said, but we also want some of all of us all together, and a few of each family.

Well, of course, we can take some time to do this, I said!

Read More

Children's Birthday Party Photos CAN Be Mostly Candid | Arbaaz's First Birthday Party

Children's Birthday Party Photos CAN Be Mostly Candid | Arbaaz's First Birthday Party

There is nothing wrong with taking group photographs at a family gathering, and a first birthday party is the ideal occasion for that.

The only thing to keep in mind is that sometimes - if you have a large group - the group photos can take the focus away from getting truly candid moments, and capturing everyone’s true spirit and essense.

As long as there is enough time, though, group shots absolutely CAN happen :)

Read More

Awesome Candid Family Photos Without The Awkward Posing | An Hour In The Backyard With The Horner Family

Awesome Candid Family Photos Without The Awkward Posing | An Hour In The Backyard With The Horner Family

I’ve done more posey family photoshoots, and it’s been stressful. Stressful for the people involved, because they were too concerned about looking “just right” and smiling to the camera. But also stressful for me, because I knew that those smiles would never be as genuine as we could get if they just relaxed.

So over time, I’ve made it so that I mostly work with families who really and truly care about their real lives. Families who are not ashamed to post real photos. Families for whom family photos are not used to brag on social media, but rather - to cherish and relive, for years and years to come, with other family members and friends.

Read More

Gananoque Egg Toss | Totally Candid Family Photography

Gananoque Egg Toss | Totally Candid Family Photography

Here we bring you another installment of the ‘Year in the Life’ series, with the Wright Straub family.

As you might recall if you’ve been following this blog, the year was 2017. We had predetermined that we would meet once a month with this family to photograph their activities.

And each month was like a fun game, figuring out what activity to photograph!

Jacklyn contacted me early that week and was like, “hey, i know it’s short notice, but we’re heading to Gananoque on Friday to do an egg toss and have some pizza”, and I was like, YES!

Read More

Year in the Life | March Maple Madness With The Wright/Straub Family

Year in the Life | March Maple Madness With The Wright/Straub Family

In March, we decided to go to Maple Madness at the Cataraqui Conservation Park. Maple Madness, for the uninitiated, is when the temperatures are just right in late winter/early spring so that the maple trees can be tapped for sap. I don’t know the ins and outs of it, but you can learn a LOT if you go for yourself. It happens in early spring (early March until early April).

The sap is tapped and it fills buckets. Then, it’s made into maple syrup, by boiling out the water.

It’s an indigenous practice, and Maple Madness offers an opportunity to learn all about the history and traditions from indigenous people. There are live demonstrations of how the water is boiled away using a hot stone.

Read More

When Your Client Is A Great Photographer | Forbes Family Photography Session

When Your Client Is A Great Photographer | Forbes Family Photography Session

A couple of months ago, Tim Forbes and I had a photoshoot exchange: He photographed my family, and I photographed his.⁣

Now, for those of you who don’t know, Tim is one of the best documentary photographers this side of Ontario. He’s primarily a wedding photographer, and was actually my mentor. I shot an entire season of weddings as his second shooter in that first year of business, back in 2016.

He’s been in the biz for nearly twenty years, and it really shows! His work is perfect. (no pressure, Tim 😉)

Read More

Family Photography In Late Fall | A Morning Stroll And Sandwiches Indoors for the Ireton Family

Family Photography In Late Fall | A Morning Stroll And Sandwiches Indoors for the Ireton Family

Lots of times I hear people ask, “what is the best time of year for family photos?”

The traditional answer is probably late spring or mid-fall.

But this isn’t a very traditional place, you know.

I’m of the opinion that literally any time of year can be a good time to take family photographs.

Because we documentary family photographers aren’t interested in what is happening in the background. No. We’re much more curious about what is happening in the foreground. What the people are doing.

Read More

How to photograph your children & find your photographic voice.

How to photograph your children & find your photographic voice.

The best way to get photos of your family is to take your camera with you wherever you go!

I often have to remind myself of this, because during the cold winter months when I’m hunkering down and doing all sorts of cosy winter activities like putting together jigsaw puzzles and playing video games… I don’t even think about taking photographs.

But when spring comes, something in me awakens.

Read More

Jude's Second Birthday Party | A Family Photo Session in Belleville

Jude's Second Birthday Party | A Family Photo Session in Belleville

This is the power of a candid photography session.

For any parent who is undecided about documentary photos a.k.a. candid photos, I hope this demonstrates why it is so much easier (especially for toddlers) to have a candid session than it is to have a post session.

Toddlers just want to get on with their fun play. They don’t want to be sitting still or being told what to do. They don’t care if there’s a photographer who is taking photos, as long as they don’t have to change what they’re doing for the photographer :) And that’s exactly what a documentary family session is all about. Letting the kiddos play and do their thing, and just going with it, and capturing THOSE photographs.

Now, having said all this, we did manage to get a few photos of Jude not crying in the group photos, an

Read More